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The  PAN  AMERICAN  UNION 

JOHN  BARRETT     :     :     :     Director  General 
FRANCISCO  J.  YANES  :  Assistant  Director 


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A  GLANCE 

AT 

LATIN  AMERICAN  CIVILIZATION 


BY 
FRANCISCO  J.,  YANES 


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WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 


1916 


I  U 


A  GLANCE  AT  LATIN  AMERICAN 
CIVILIZATION1 


The  civilization  of  peoples  cannot  always  be  gauged  by  set  standards. 
There  are  varying  factors  to  be  taken  into  consideration  and  discrep- 
ancies to  be  accounted  for  in  measuring  the  degree  of  cultural  and 
industrial  progress  of  a  nation.  Conditions  growing  out  of  racial 
characteristics,  historical  necessities,  geographical  position,  custom  and 
habit,  on  the  one  hand,  and  on  the  other  the  basic  principles  upon  which 
different  societies  have  been  built,  must  not  be  lost  sight  of  in  dealing 
with,  or  rather,  in  endeavoring  to  understand  the  factors  that  have  led 
to  the  progress  of  a  given  nation,  or  aggregate  of  nations  of  the  same  or 
similar  origin. 

Latin  American  civilization  from  an  Anglo  Saxon  point  of  view  may 
be  found  wanting  in  many  respects,  but  the  life  and  happiness  of  nations, 
the  ideals  and  hopes  of  their  peoples,  their  legislation  and  institutions, 
are  not  to  be  found  ready  made,  but  have  to  be  worked  out  to  meet 
peculiar  wants,  and  in  accordance  with  the  racial,  mental,  moral  and 
material  resources  and  necessities  of  each. 

We  must  deal  with  Latin  America  as  a  whole  if  we  wish  to  cast  a  rapid 
glance  at  its  civilization.  Some  of  the  twenty  free  and  independent 
states  which  in  their  aggregate  make  up  Latin  America  have  developed 
more  than  others,  and  a  few  marvelously  so,  but  whether  north  or  south 
of  the  Panama  Canal,  east  or  west,  on  the  Atlantic  or  the  Pacific,  on  the 
Caribbean  or  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  the  countries  of  Latin  America  sprang 
from  the  same  race — the  brave,  hardy,  adventurous,  romantic  and 
warlike  Spanish  and  Portuguese  conquerors,  who  fought  their  way 
through  unknown  territories,  whether  in  quest  of  "El  Dorado"  or  in 
warfare  against  whole  nations  of  Indians,  as  in  the  case  of  Mexico  and 
Peru,  where  the  native  Indians  had  a  marvelous  civilization  of  their  own. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  men  who  founded  these  United  States,  the 
Pilgrims  who  first  set  foot  on  this  new  land  of  promise,  and  those  who 
followed  in  the  wake  of  the  first  settlers,  came  to  this  country  already 
prepared,  through  years  of  training,  to  govern  themselves.  They  came 
to  the  friendly  shores  of  the  New  World  in  quest  of  freedom.  They 
wanted  a  home  in  a  new  land  not  yet  contaminated  with  the  spirit  of  the 
Old  World.  They  brought  with  them  their  creed,  their  habits  of  order 

iBy  Francisco  J.  Yanes,  Asst.  Director,  and  Secretary  of  the  Governing  Board,  of 
the  Pan  American  Union.  Reprinted  from  The  Journal  of  Race  Development,  Vol. 
4,  Xo.  4,  April,  1914. 


4  THE    PAN   AMERICAN   UNION. 

and  discipline,  their  love  of  freedom,  their  respect  for  the  established 
principles  of  law.  Hence  from  its  inception  Anglo  American  civilization 
was  built  upon  solid  ground.  Its  subsequent  development — the  marvel 
of  the  last  half  of  the  nineteenth  and  this  our  twentieth  century — is  due 
to  the  solidity  of  their  institutions,  their  steadfastness  of  purpose,  their 
practical  sense  of  life,  and  a  territorial  expanse  where  all  the  soils,  all  the 
wealth,  all  the  climatic  conditions  of  the  cold,  the  temperate  and  the 
tropical  zone  can  be  found. 

The  discussion  of  Latin  American  civilization  is  of  vast  importance, 
since  it  deals  with  the  history  and  development  of  twenty  republics 
lying  beyond  the  Mexican  border,  and  covering  an  aggregate  area  of 
about  9,000,000  square  miles,  with  a  total  population  of  over  70,000,000, 
of  which  48,000,000  speak  the  Spanish  language,  20,000,000  Portuguese 
in  Brazil,  and  2,000,000  French  in  Haiti.  This  general  division  brings 
us  at  once  to  deal,  under  the  same  classification,  with  peoples  and 
civilization  springing  from  different  sources — Spanish,  Portuguese  and 
French.  Even  among  the  Spanish-speaking  countries  there  are  condi- 
tions, depending  on  the  province  of  origin  of  the  first  Spanish  colonizers 
and  settlers,  who  came  mainly  from  Biscay,  Andalusia,  Castile,  Aragon, 
and  Extremadura,  which  further  tend  to  establish  other  slight  differences, 
just  as  the  various  states  of  this  country  show  differences  due  to  the 
sources  of  their  population. 

For  our  purpose,  a  general  survey  of  the  twenty  countries  called 
Latin  America  is  not  amiss.  Geographically,  Latin  America  begins 
beyond  the  Rio  Grande,  with  Mexico,  at  the  southern  boundary  of  which 
extends  what  is  called  Central  America,  consisting  of  Guatemala, 
Honduras,  Salvador,  Nicaragua,  and  Costa  Rica,  the  historic  five 
Central  American  states;  Panama,  the  gateway  to  the  Pacific  on  the 
west  and  to  the  Caribbean  and  the  Atlantic  on  the  east ;  South  America 
proper,  embracing  Venezuela  on  the  Caribbean,  Colombia  on  that  sea 
and  partly  on  the  Pacific;  Ecuador,  Peru  and  Chile,  bordering  on  the 
Pacific;  Bolivia  and  Paraguay,  inland  states  in  the  heart  of  South 
America;  Argentina,  Uruguay  and  Brazil  on  the  Atlantic;  and,  lastly, 
Cuba,  Haiti  and  the  Dominican  Republic,  islands  in  the  Caribbean 
Sea.  So  we  see  that  Latin  American  extends  from  the  north  temperate 
zone  to  Cape  Horn,  near  the  Antarctic  Ocean,  which  means  that  all 
climatic  conditions  are  found  in  that  enormous  area  over  which  the  pole 
star,  the  Southern  Cross,  and  the  constellations  brightening  the  South 
Pole  keep  nightly  watch,  from  the  cool  regions  of  northern  Mexico  to  the 
tropical  heat  of  the  torrid  zone  and  again  to  the  cold  lands  of  Patagonia. 
This  is  indeed  a  world  of  wealth  where  all  the  products  of  the  entire 
globe  can  be  successfully  cultivated,  where  all  races  of  mankind  can  live 


A   GLANCE   AT   LATIN   AMERICAN   CIVILIZATION  5 

and  thrive,  because  the  Mexican  and  Central  American  Cordilleras,  and 
further  south  the  mighty  Andean  range,  offer  an  unbroken  chain  of  lofty 
peaks,  wide  valleys,  and  extensive  tablelands,  affording  all  climates  and 
zones,  all  kinds  of  soils  and  minerals,  the  only  limitations  to  the  develop- 
ment of  these  lands  being  human  endurance.  The  water  supply  is 
plentiful  in  most  parts  of  Mexico  and  the  Central  American  republics, 
and  there  is  nothing  in  the  world  which  can  be  compared  to  the  hydro- 
graphic  areas  of  northern  and  central  South  America,  consisting  of  the 
Orinoco  basin  with  its  400  affluents,  offering  a  total  navigable  length  of 
about  4000  miles ;  the  mighty  Amazon  having  three  times  the  volume  of 
the  Mississippi  and  navigable  for  over  2000  miles,  and  the  network 
of  great  rivers  emptying  into  it;  the  Parana  and  the  River  Plata,  with 
twice  the  volume  of  the  Mississippi,  and  a  thousand  other  streams  too 
numerous  to  mention  in  detail,  but  which  can  be  found  on  any  fairly 
good  map,  showing  a  feasible  water  route  from  the  mouth  of  the  Orinoco 
in  Venezuela  to  the  Amazon  and  the  very  heart  of  South  America,  and 
thence  to  the  Parana  and  finally  to  the  River  Plata. 

We  all  know  how  Columbus  discovered  this  New  World  which  today 
bears  the  name  of  America  (although  the  application  of  that  name  is 
quite  restricted  in  this  country  to  the  United  States) — we  have  all  heard 
of  the  hardships  Columbus  and  his  followers  had  to  endure,  their  suffer- 
ings, their  hopes,  and  their  faith  in  some  supernatural  fate,  a  trait 
begotten  by  the  influence  of  Moorish  ancestors  in  Spain  through  the 
mingling  of  both  races  during  the  occupation  wars  which  lasted  over 
eight  centuries.  The  discovery  of  America  has  a  tinge  of  romance,  such 
as  inspires  the  soul  of  the  adventurer  and  the  buccaneer.  It  was  a 
romance  that  began  at  the  Rabida,  grew  in  the  presence  and  with  the 
help  of  good  Queen  Isabella,  developed  into  a  mad  desire  for  adventure 
at  Palos,  and  ended  with  the  planting  of  the  Spanish  standard  on  the 
shores  of  Guanahani,  now  called  Watling's  Island.  From  here  Colum- 
bus went  to  what  is  today  called  Cuba,  thence  to  Hispaniola — now 
divided  into  Haiti  and  the  Dominican  Republic,  where  his  remains  now 
rest  in  the  Cathedral  at  Santo  Domingo — and  in  this  latter  island 
founded  the  first  white  settlement  in  the  New  World.  We  cannot  follow 
Columbus'  voyages  or  his  adventures  step  by  step,  but  we  must  feel  that 
the  discovery  of  America  is  an  epic  poem  worthy  of  the  mettle  of  the 
great  discoverer  and  his  men. 

And  so  the  civilization  of  what  is  called  Latin  America  began  with  the 
first  Spanish  settlement,  the  first  Indian  blood  shed  by  the  greed  of  the 
white  conqueror,  and  the  first  attempt  to  Christianize  the  inhabitants  of 
the  new-found  land.  The  inevitable  features  of  conquest — war, 
treachery,  destruction,  fire,  sword,  deeds  of  valor  but  little  known,  and 


6  THE    PAN    AMERICAN    UNION. 

endurance  almost  superhuman— marked  along  the  trail  of  the  discoverers 
the  birth  and  first  steps  of  the  New  World.  And  in  the  midst  of  this 
turmoil,  bravely  battling  against  unknown  odds,  the  Spanish  missionary 
fathers  worked  unceasingly,  founding  hamlets  and  towns,  thus  planting 
in  the  wilderness  the  seeds  of  many  a  large  city  today,  building  their 
temples  of  worship,  going  from  place  to  place  struggling  with  disease  and 
hunger,  teaching  the  Indians  the  Spanish  language  and  with  it  their 
religious  faith,  and  laying  the  foundation  of  what  is  known  today  as 
Latin  America. 

The  second  stage  of  Latin  American  civilization  began  when  the 
crown  of  Spain  finally  took  an  active  interest  in  its  new  possessions  and 
men  of  a  better  class  than  the  soldiery  which  landed  with  the  discoverers 
and  conquerors  began  to  come  to  the  New  World,  bringing  their  wives 
and  daughters,  and  surrounding  themselves  with  whatever  comforts 
could  be  had  in  their  new  home.  They  were  in  many  cases  scions  of 
noble  families,  who  came  either  as  viceroys,  governors,  or  in  some  other 
administrative  capacity,  or  as  "oidores,"  judges  and  men  of  letters  in 
general.  There  also  came  learned  monks,  and  among  these,  philosophers, 
poets,  musicians,  painters,  etc.  Hence  some  of  the  oldest  descriptions 
and  chronicles  of  Latin  America  are  in  verse  or  in  choice  prose,  either  in 
Spanish  or  in  Latin,  and  we  find  in  some  of  the  oldest  cities  in  Spanish 
America  wonderful  examples  of  wood  carving,  either  in  churches  or  in 
old  houses,  beautiful  specimens  of  the  gold  and  silversmiths'  art  in  ware 
of  the  precious  metals,  some  fine  paintings,  and  unexcelled  samples  of 
the  art  of  illuminating  books,  particularly  missals. 

The  scholars,  either  members  of  the  religious  orders  or  laymen,  began 
to  gather  books  imported  from  Europe,  and  so  our  libraries  were  started, 
mainly  in  the  convents.  With  this  feature  of  civilization  the  necessity 
of  educating  the  children  of  the  Spaniards  and  the  Indians  became  more 
pressing,  and  private  schools  and  seminaries  were  established,  as  a  first 
step  to  the  foundation  of  universities.  I  think  it  is  due  to  the  Spaniards 
to  state  right  here  that  both  in  Mexico  and  in  Peru  schools  were  founded 
for  the  education  of  the  Indians,  to  teach  them  not  only  reading  and 
writing,  but  the  manual  arts  as  well. 

We  Latin  Americans  record  with  natural  pride  the  fact  that  the  first 
university  founded  in  the  New  World  was  that  of  Santo  Tomas  de 
Aquino  at  Santo  Domingo,  in  1538.  This  University  is  no  longer  in 
existence,  but  we  still  have  that  of  San  Marcos  at  Lima,  Peru,  founded 
in  1551 ;  the  University  of  Mexico,  established  in  1553  and  refounded  in 
1910;  the  University  of  Cordoba,  in  Argentina,  dating  from  1613;  that 
of  Sucre  in  Bolivia,  founded  in  1623,  or  thirteen  years  before  Harvard, 
which  dates  from  1636,  and  that  of  Cuzco,  in  Peru,  established  in  1692, 


A   GLANCE   AT   LATIN   AMERICAN   CIVILIZATION  7 

or  eight  years  earlier  than  Yale,  which  was  founded  in  1701.  The 
University  of  Caracas,  in  Venezuela,  dates  from  1721,  and  that  of 
Habana,  Cuba,  from  1728,  the  other  universities  founded  before  the 
nineteenth  century  being  that  of  Santiago,  Chile,  in  1743,  and  the 
University  of  Quito,  Ecuador,  in  1787. 

The  great  agent  of  civilization  and  progress,  the  printing  press,  has 
been  known  in  L/atin  America  since  1536,  when  the  first  printing  outfit 
was  introduced  into  Mexico  and  the  first  book  printed  in  the  New  World, 
a  plea  of  Father  Las  Casas  for  a  better  life.  Cartagena,  Colombia,  is 
said  to  have  been  the  second  city  of  America  to  have  a  printing  press,  in 
1560.  or  1562,  but  Peru  seems  to  hold  the  record  for  the  first  book  printed 
in  South  America,  about  1584,  and  La  Paz,  Bolivia,  had  a  printing 
establishment  about  1610.  There  were  also  a  press  and  other  printing 
paraphernalia  at  the  Jesuit  missions  of  Paraguay  about  the  first  decade 
of  the  seventeenth  century.  The  first  work  in  Bogota  was  printed  about 
1739;  Ecuador  printed  its  first  book  in  1760,  and  Venezuela  in  1764,  while 
the  earliest  production  of  the  Chilean  press  bears  the  date  of  1776;  and 
there  was  a  printing  outfit  in  Cordoba,  Argentina,  in  1767.  With  the 
foundation  of  universities  and  schools  and  more  frequent  communication 
with  Spain  and  other  European  countries  of  Latin  origin,  and  the  print- 
ing of  books  and  newspapers  in  the  New  World,  the  desire  for  learning 
was  developed  and  a  new  field  was  opened  to  intellectual  culture. 

Dissatisfaction  of  the  colonies  with  the  exactions  and  abuses  of  the 
viceroys,  captains-general  and  other  officials  representing  the  crown  of 
Spain,  jealousies  between  the  Creoles,  or  children  of  Spanish  parents  born 
in  America,  and  the  "peninsulars,"  or  native  Spaniards,  commercial 
preference  and  social  distinctions,  and  other  petty  annoyances  born  of 
the  arrogance  of  the  Spaniards,  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  proud  nature 
of  the  Creoles  on  the  other,  were  the  smouldering  embers  that,  fanned  by 
the  success  of  the  American  Revolution  and  the  storm  of  the  French 
Revolution,  set  on  lire  the  Spanish  colonies  at  the  end  of  the  eighteenth 
and  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century.  The  majority  of  the 
vSpanish  American  countries  attained  their  independence  between  1804 
and  1825,  and  their  struggles  for  freedom,  while  encouraged  by  the 
example  of  the  United  States,  were  inspired  in  French  ideals.  The 
heroes  of  the  bloody  but  romantic  French  Revolution,  their  fiery  speeches 
and  undaunted  bravery,  their  proclamation  of  the  republic  and  the 
rights  of  man;  the  echoes  of  the  Boston  Tea  Party,  the  exploits  of  the 
spirit  of  '76,  the  commanding  and  serene  figure  of  Washington,  the 
birth  of  the  American  Constitution,  the  utterances  of  the  grave  thinkers 
and  inspired  orators  of  the  revolutionary  period — all  these  dazzling 
examples  of  patriotism  appealed  to  the  Spanish  American  colonists,  and 


8  THE    PAN    AMERICAN    UNION. 

one  by  one  the  colonies  began  their  fight  for  independence.  The  execu- 
tions and  ignominy  heaped  upon  the  first  patriots  who  forfeited  their 
lives  for  the  cause  of  independence,  instead  of  discouraging  the  leaders, 
made  them  more  aggressive,  and  they  resolved  to  gain  the  day  at  all 
hazards. 

We  come  now  to  the  most  brilliant  pages  of  the  history  of  Latin  Amer- 
ica, and  upon  these  pages  are  written  the  names  of  Miranda  of  Venezuela, 
the  precursor  of  South  American  independence;  Bolivar,  who  has  been 
called  the  Washington  of  South  America,  a  brilliant  soldier  and  born 
leader,  the  liberator  and  father  of  Venezuela,  his  native  country,  and  of 
Colombia,  Ecuador,  Peru,  and  Bolivia;  Sucre,  also  a  Venezuelan,  more 
like  Washington  than  Bolivar,  the  very  soul  of  honor,  a  gallant  knight 
and  an  accomplished  diplomat;  San  Martin,  the  brave  and  heroic  liber- 
ator of  the  southern  half  of  South  America;  Artigas,  a  man  of  sterling 
qualities;  O'Higgins,  the  great  Chilean  hero;  Tiradentes,  the  forerunner 
of  Brazilian  independence;  Morelos  and  Hidalgo  in  Mexico,  both 
Catholic  priests,  and  both  martyrs  to  the  cause  of  independence;  and 
hundreds  of  others  from  each  country  whose  names  would  be  meaningless 
except  to  those  well  acquainted  with  the  history  of  South  America. 

But,  once  free  from  colonial  bondage,  the  new  republics,  whose  political 
constitutions  in  the  main  are  based  on  that  of  the  United  States,  had  to 
deal  with  fresh  problems  arising  from  changed  conditions.  The  new 
political  entities  commenced  their  independent  life  heavily  handicappe^l, 
on  the  one  hand  by  their  economic  condition  after  a  period  of  protracted 
wars,  and  on  the  other  hand  by  a  scarcity  of  population,  and — though 
paradoxical,  nevertheless  true— the  fertility  of  the  soil  and  extremely 
favorable  climatic  conditions.  The  unbounded  productiveness  of  Latin 
America,  coupled  with  the  modest  wants  of  the  masses,  has  been  the 
main  cause  of  the  slow  development  of  most  of  these  countries  as  manu- 
facturing centers,  their  chief  means  of  support  being  agricultural  and 
allied  industries,  and  mining.  The  evolution  out  of  all  this  chaos  has 
been  more  rapid  in  some  countries  than  in  others,  due  to  special  condi- 
tions, among  which  the  principal  ones  are  in  general  terms  geographic 
and  topographic  position,  and  predominance  of  the  white  man. 

The  leading  classes,  owners  of  black  slaves  and  landlords  to  the 
Indian  tenantry,  lived  for  the  most  part  in  relative  ease  after  the  war  of 
independence.  Those  who  did  not  seek  in  the  army  a  field  for  their 
activities  or  inclinations,  devoted  themselves  to  intellectual  and  scientific 
pursuits,  either  in  civil  life  or  in  the  service  of  the  church.  Some  went 
abroad,  to  France  or  Spain  preferably,  to  acquire  a  general  education 
or  to  perfect  that  received  at  home  and  to  see  the  world,  on  their  return 
bringing  new  ideas  which  were  eventually  adopted  and  more  or  less 


A   GLANCE   AT   LATIN   AMERICAN   CIVILIZATION  9 

modified  as  necessity  demanded.  With  the  progress  of  the  nineteenth 
century  Latin  America  also  advanced. 

Intellectually,  the  Latin  Americans  are  anything  but  the  inferiors  of 
the  Anglo  Americans.  The  literature  of  Latin  America  is  as  rich  and 
valuable  as  that  of  any  country,  yet  it  is  hardly  known — not  to  say 
entirely  unknown — in  the  United  States  except  by  a  handful  of  men  who 
have  devoted  their  time  to  the  study  of  the  Spanish  language.  It  is  only 
now,  during  the  last  few  years,  that  a  desire  to  know  Spanish  has  made 
itself  felt  in  the  United  States,  and  it  is  astonishing  to  note  the  number  of 
persons  now  able  to  read  and  understand  the  language.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  study  of  modern  languages  is  compulsory  in  all  of  the  universi- 
ties and  colleges  of  Latin  America,  and  absolutely  necessary  to  obtain 
certain  academic  degrees.  French  was  for  a  long  time  the  language 
chosen  by  the  majority  of  the  students,  hence  the  influence  of  French 
literature  and  French  thought  in  Latin  America.  German  was  taken 
up  by  many,  more  as  a  commercial  tongue  than  otherwise,  but  even  so, 
German  literature,  particularly  the  works  of  Goethe,  Schiller  and  Heine, 
and  most  of  the  writers  of  today,  are  well  known  in  Latin  America. 
English  was  preferred  by  others,  rather  as  an  accomplishment  than  as  a 
language  of  immediate  practical  use,  until  now  it  has  taken,  in  many 
cases,  the  place  of  German.  These  two  languages  have  followed  the 
trend  of  trade,  but  English  is  becoming  more  useful  every  day  in  view  of 
the  increased  relations  of  Latin  America  with  the  United  States,  in  all 
spheres  of  human  activity. 

The  problem  of  education  has  always  commanded  the  earnest  atten- 
tion of  all  the  Latin  American  governments,  to  the  extent  of  having 
made  primary  education,  in  most  of  these  countries,  not  only  free  but 
compulsory.  So  far  as  higher  education  is  concerned — that  is,  all  grades 
above  primary — there  are  institutions,  either  public  or  private,  or  both, 
for  secondary  and  superior  education,  normal  schools,  schools  of  mines, 
agricultural  and  manual  training,  technological  institutes,  colleges, 
universities,  conservatories  of  music,  academies  of  painting  and  sculpture, 
national  or  public  libraries,  museums,  etc. — in  short,  all  kinds  of  institu- 
tions devoted  to  the  moral  and  intellectual  uplift  of  the  people. 

In  all  the  Latin  American  countries  there  is  a  system  of  scholarships 
which  serves  as  a  practical  means  of  promoting  interest  in  education. 
This  system  provides  for  supporting  abroad  for  a  certain  length  of  time 
such  of  the  students  and  graduates  as  have  won  honors,  who  are  sent  to 
Europe  and  in  some  cases  to  the  United  States,  to  perfect  their  educa- 
tion and  bring  home  new  methods  and  the  latest  and  most  approved 
systems.  We  frequently  hear  at  the  Pan  American  Union  of  Latin 
Americans  who  have  come  to  the  United  States  or  are'coming  here  to 


IO  THE    PAN    AMERICAN    UNION. 

take  a  post-graduate  course  in  some  science  or  profession,  and  others  who 
are  in  this  country  studying  and  investigating  school  methods  and 
appliances.  At  present  there  are  over  1350  such  students  in  the  United 
States. 

I  think  this  is  the  proper  occasion  to  urge  upon  American  scholars  and 
professors  the  necessity  of  encouraging  the  preparation  in  the  English 
language  of  popular  monographs  for  school  use,  written  by  responsible 
and  unprejudiced  men,  on  the  history  and  geography  of  the  Latin 
American  countries.  So  far  as  I  know,  there  is  not  a  single  well-known 
schoolbook  in  English  giving  in  a  concise,  impartial  manner  the  history 
of  any  one  of  the  countries  of  Latin  America.  The  history  of  the 
United  States,  on  the  other  hand,  is  studied  in  Latin  American  colleges 
and  unversities  along  with  the  modern  history  of  France  and  England, 
Spain,  Italy  and  Germany.  Another  point  that  deserves  passing  men- 
tion is  the  scarcity  of  good  American  books  in  Latin  America,  in  the 
Spanish  language,  due  to  their  enormous  cost.  France,  Italy,  Germany, 
and  Spain  especially,  publish  in  Spanish  hundreds  of  useful  books  on 
history,  Science,  geography,  literature,  etc.,  at  prices  so  low  that  no  one 
can  give  excessive  cost  as  an  excuse  for  not  having  what  is  termed  in 
Spanish  "an  economical  library,"  that  is,  small  volumes  of  several  pages, 
well  edited,  bound  in  paper,  which  are  worth  from  20  cents  up  to  50  or 
75  cents.  An  American  work  cannot  be  obtained  at  such  prices.  I  can 
remember  in  my  childhood  days  having  learned  to  read  from  a  series  of 
books,  edited  in  Spanish  by  a  New  York  publishing  firm,  called  "Libros 
de  Lectura  de  Mandeville"  (Mandeville's  Readers).  The  school 
geography  was  also  edited  in  Spanish  by  the  same  publishing  house,  if  I 
am  not  mistaken,  and  was  called  "  Primer  Libro  de  Geografia  de  Smith" 
(Smith's  (Asa)  First  book  of  Geography}.  If  the  sale  of  American  printed 
books  fails  of  success  in  Latin  America,  it  is  due  mainly  to  the  almost 
prohibitive  prices. 

With  better  means  of  communication  and  a  desire  to  expand  their 
trade  with  Latin  America,  United  States  merchants  and  travelers  are 
visiting  intelligently  the  Latin  American  countries,  and  men  of  science 
and  learning  have,  during  the  last  few  years,  turned  their  eyes  toward  that 
continent,  bringing  to  light  the  wonders  of  past  ages  buried  by  the 
sands  of  Time,  and  doing  justice  to  a  civilization  until  then  little  known, 
and  only  by  a  few.  No  better  proof  of  the  fact  that  Latin  American 
civilization  is  worthy  of  note  could  be  had  than  the  desire  to  exchange 
professors  and  students  between  certain  universities  of  the  United 
States  and  those  of  the  leading  South  American  countries. 

Latin  Americans  have  done  much  towards  the  progress  of  the  world 
both  intellectually  and  materially.  Civilization  may  be  divided  into 


A    GLANCE    AT   LATIN    AMERICAN    CIVILIZATION  I  I 

two  great  branches  from  which  others  spring:  development  of  the 
intellectual  forces  of  mankind,  and  development  of  the  material  resources 
for  the  benefit  of  all.  Under  the  first  head — as  I  have  endeavored  to 
show  in  the  brief  review  of  Latin  American  history  just  made — we  have 
educational  institutions  to  train  and  perfect  the  mind,  which  have 
existed  in  Latin  America  for  centuries,  and  the  result  of  this  training  has 
been  great  jurists,  historians,  orators,  physicians,  painters,  sculptors, 
poets,  musicians,  playwrights,  and  others  too  numerous  to  mention, 
as  we  are  dealing  with  twenty  countries,  but  whose  works  might  fill  a 
good-sized  library.  We  have  painters  and  sculptors  of  renown,  whose 
works  have  been  admired,  rewarded  and  commended  in  the  leading  art 
centers  of  the  world,  and  in  all  the  countries  there  are  art  schools  from 
which  the  students  go  preferably  to  Italy  or  France,  most  frequently 
pensioned  by  the  government,  to  perfect  themselves  and  do  honor  to 
their  motherland.  We  have  musicians  wedded  to  their  art  and  a  credit 
to  the  country  and  themselves;  and  composers,  singers  and  players 
educated  in  our  own  conservatories  or  schools.  We  have  theatres  and 
opera  houses  not  surpassed  by  any  others  in  America  or  Europe,  and  the 
governments  of  many,  if  not  all  of  the  Latin  American  countries, 
contribute  to  the  musical  education  of  the  people  by  subsidizing  opera 
troupes  every  season  or  so,  paying  heavy  sums  to  obtain  the  best  singers. 
Many  a  celebrity  who  has  come  to  New  York  has  commenced  his  career 
in  Latin  America. 

There  is  another  phase  of  Latin  American  civilization  showing  in  an 
unquestionable  manner  a  natural  tendency  towards  the  establishment  of 
higher  ideals — those  ideals  that  are  today  being  proclaimed  by  men  of 
good  will  of  all  nations.  I  refer  to  arbitration,  the  recourse  to  which  is 
the  highest  form  of  culture  among  peoples.  Arbitration  is  not  new 
with  us.  It  is  one  of  the  basic  principles  of  the  foundation  of  our  social 
structure,  since  it  rests  on  the  civil  law  of  Rome,  which  provides  for 
arbitration  as  one  of  the  ordinary  and  usual  means  of  settling  differences 
between  man  and  man.  The  principle  of  arbitration  was  first  proclaimed 
on  our  continent  by  General  Bolivar,  the  Liberator  of  South  America — 
as  far-sighted  and  keen  a  statesman  as  he  was  a  military  genius.  Bolivar 
was  the  originator  of  the  idea  of  holding  the  first  Congress  of  Nations  of 
America  in  Panama  in  1826,  for  the  purpose,  among  others,  of  adopting 
arbitration  as  a  principle  of  American — that  is  to  say,  Pan  American — 
policy. 

In  recent  years  we  have  had  recourse  to  arbitration  and  direct  negotia- 
tions partaking  often  of  the  nature  of  arbitration,  more  frequently  than 
in  all  the  rest  of  the  world.  Our  Latin  American  wars  have  been  civil 
wars  for  a  political  principle,  and  these  mainly  in  countries  where  the 


12  THE    PAN    AMERICAN    UNION. 

military  element  predominates.  We  have  never  engaged  in  wars  of 
conquest.  In  our  international  difficulties.,  arbitration  has  always  been 
the  keynote  of  our  negotiations.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  in  the 
history  of  our  Latin  American  republics,  since  they  became  independent 
from  the  mother  country  over  one  hundred  years  ago,  we  have  had 
among  ourselves  only  two  wars  which,  if  international  in  a  sense,  could 
be  classed  as  national,  since  they  were  fought  among  members  of  our 
own  family  of  republics.  But  these  wars  were  not  fought  for  territorial 
expansion  nor  in  the  spirit  of  conquest,  although  territory  may  have 
been  gained  as  an  indemnity.  I  refer  to  the  Paraguayan  war  against 
Brazil,  Uruguay  and  Argentina,  and  the  war  of  Chile  and  Bolivia  against 
Peru.  On  the  other  hand,  who,  looking  at  the  map  of  Europe  today, 
would  recognize  it  as  the  same  Europe  of  half  a  century  ago?  With  one 
or  two  exceptions — the  Iberian  and  the  Scandinavian  peninsulas  and  the 
British  Isles — there  is  not  a  single  country  that  has  not  been  remade  at 
the  cost  of  numberless  lives  and  enormous  bloodshed. 

All  our  boundary  disputes — and  they  have  been  many — have  been  or 
are  being  settled  by  arbitration.  Now,  could  any  better  proof  be  offered 
of  the  advancement  of  peoples  who,  while  springing  directly  from  a  race 
of  warriors,  do  not  fear  to  work  towards  the  ends  of  peace? 

Another  proof  of  this  spirit  of  progress  is  the  maintenance  in  the  city 
of  Washington,  by1  all  the  countries  of  our  American  hemisphere,  of  a 
unique  organization  called  the  Pan  American  Union,  the  living  embodi- 
ment of  the  idea  which  created  the  International  Union  of  American 
Republics  as  a  result  of  the  first  Pan  American  Conference  held  in 
Washington  over  twenty  years  ago  at  the  invitation  of  that  great 
American  statesman,  James  G.  Blaine.  The  Pan  American  Union 
represents  the  spirit  of  progress,  the  desire  for  a  better  understanding, 
the  necessity  for  stronger  ties  of  friendship,  felt  among  the  republics  of 
the  three  Americas,  by  making  them  known  to  one  another,  by  bringing 
to  the  attention  of  the  American  people  the  opportunities  offered  by  the 
Latin  American  countries,  their  civilization,  their  onward  march 
towards  prosperity,  united  in  a  single  purpose  of  material  and  moral 
advancement. 

There  is  another  aspect  of  Latin  American  civilization  which  deserves 
more  than  passing  attention.  It  is  their  political  life  as  members  of  the 
Pan  American  fraternity  of  independent  nations.  Their  first  step 
towards  higher  ideals  was  their  declaration  of  independence  and  their 
assuming  the  duties  and  exercising  the  rights  of  sovereign  states.  The 
transition  from  colonial  dependencies  to  self-governing  nations  was 
fraught  with  difficulties  unknown  to  the  citizens  of  the  original  thirteen 
states  of  the  North  American  Union,  resulting  from  different  conditions, 
due  in  the  main  to  the  spirit  that  inspired  their  complete  emancipation. 


A   GLANCE   AT   LATIN   AMERICAN   CIVILIZATION  13 

The  original  thirteen  states  separated  from  England  principally  for 
practical  reasons,  while  the  Spanish  American  countries  had  to  contend 
with  an  economic  as  well  as  a  political  problem. 

After  a  period  of  evolution — or,  if  you  prefer  it,  revolutions— during 
which  the  several  antagonistic  interests  were  undergoing  a  process  of 
amalgamation,  or  better  still,  clarification,  there  now  exists,  in  the 
majority  of  Latin  American  countries,  stable  governments  whose  sole 
aim  is  to  maintain  above  reproach  the  moral  as  well  as  the  economic 
credit  of  their  respective  nations,  so  as  to  attract  foreign  capital  and 
J  energy,  which  will  stimulate  the  development  of  home  industries,  and 
insure  peace,  prosperity  and  happiness  to  its  citizens.  Some  Latin 
American  countries  have  been  less  fortunate,  but  every  disturbance, 
every  civil  strife,  has  been  a  misdirected  effort  towards  the  attainment  of 
a  goal  dreamed  of  by  all  and  by  all  desired.  Public  education,  foreign 
commerce,  improved  means  of  communication,  greater  development  of 
the  natural  wealth  of  those  countries  are  factors  which  have  contributed 
and  are  constantly  contributing  to  the  establishment  of  a  peaceful  era 
which  will  eventually  become  normal  and  stable. 

As. to  the  material  phase  of  Latin  American  civilization,  all  I  have  to 
say  is  that  communication  with  the  other  countries  of  the  world  is 
represented  by  .over  fifty  steamship  lines  plying  between  European  ports 
and  those  of  Latin  America,  and  about  twenty-five  lines  running  from 
the  United  States  to  the  Atlantic,  Caribbean  and  west  coast  ports  of 
Latin  America.  The  combined  railway  mileage  from  Mexico  down  to 
Chile  and  Argentina,  including  the  island  countries  of  Cuba,  Haiti  and 
the  Dominican  Republic,  is  estimated  at  65,330  miles,  Argentina  leading 
with  over  20,300  miles;  next  comes  Mexico  with  over  16,000  miles; 
Brazil  follows  with  about  14,000  miles;  Chile,  over  5,000;  Cuba,  nearly 
2,200,  and  the  other  republics  in  lesser  proportion.  There  is  not  one 
single  country,  however,  that  is  not  included  in  this  total  mileage.  It 
may  seem  strange  that  in  an  area  of  about  9,000,000  square  miles  there 
should  be  only  65,000  miles  of  railway,  but  if  you  stop  a  moment  to 
consider  the  enormous  barrier  extending  along  the  west  coast  of  South 
America,  formed  by  the  mighty  range  of  mountains  which  is  but  a  con- 
tinuation through  Mexico,  Central,  and  western  South  America  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  and  the  scarcity  of  population  which  creates  demands 
and  makes  traffic  profitable,  you  will  understand  why  the  railways  of 
Latin  America  have  not  advanced  faster.  But  even  under  these  circum- 
stances, not  a  day  passes  but  some  work  is  done  towards  the  extension  of 
that  railway  mileage. 

Another  phase  of  civilization  and  progress  is  the  foreign  commerce  of  a 
country.  Latin  America  in  this  respect  has  a  good  record,  and  the 
figures  representing  its  foreign  trade  in  1912  are,  in  round  numbers,  as 


14  THE    PAN    AMERICAN    UNION. 

follows:  total  Latin  American  commerce,  $2,811,000,000,  the  exports 
being  represented  by  $1,571,000,000  and  the  imports  by  $1,240,000,000. 
The  total  trade  with  the  United  States  amounted  to  about  $825,832,000, 
of  which  $519,025,000  was  exports,  and  $306,807,000  imports.  The 
progress  made  by  Latin  America  in  its  commercial  relations  with  the 
world  at  large  and  the  United  States,  especially,  shows  that  there  is  a  great 
consumption  of  all  such  articles  as  are  considered  necessary  to  civiliza- 
tion. Latin  America  is  not  a  manufacturing  continent;  it  mainly  pro- 
duces for  export  agricultural  products  such  as  sugar,  coffee,  rubber, 
tobacco,  cacao  or  cocoa,  cotton,  etc.,  hides  and  other  raw  materials, 
mining  products  such  as  silver,  gold,  tin,  copper,  iron,  bismuth,  saltpeter, 
etc.,  and  a  few  gems.  Its  main  imports  are  machinery  of  all  kinds, 
hardware,  cotton  and  other  fabrics,  foodstuffs,  carriages  and  automobiles, 
railway  material,  electrical  appliances,  and  other  similar  products  of 
industry  necessary  to  the  cultivation  of  the  land,  the  improvement  of 
roads  and  cities,  and  the  comfort  of  the  inhabitants.  There  is  not  a 
city  of  any  importance  in  Latin  America  where  either  artificial  illuminat- 
ing gas  or  electric  light  is  unknown.  Telegraph  and  telephone  wires 
stretch  all  over  Latin  America,  uniting  cities  and  towns,  over  the  wilds 
and  across  the  mountains,  bridging  powerful  rivers,  connecting  neighbor- 
ing countries  and  linking  our  shores  with  the  rest  of  the  civilized  world. 
Not  an  event  of  any  importance  takes  place  in  Europe,  Asia,  or  Africa, 
or  the  United  States  which  the  submarine  cable  does  not  bring  to  the 
Latin  American  press,  to  be  made  public  either  in  the  form  of  bulletins 
or  in  "extras,"  according  to  the  importance  of  the  event,  while  nearly 
every  Latin  American  country  has  its  wireless  telegraph  system. 
Electric  cars  are  fast  replacing  the  older  and  slower  methods  of  transpor- 
tation within  the  cities  and  extending  their  usefulness  to  carrying 
passengers  to  suburban  villas,  small  towns  or  country  places  of  amuse- 
ment, and  Buenos  Aires,  the  largest  Latin  American  capital,  has  a 
subway  in  operation. 

In  conclusion,  I  may  say  that  a  charge  frequently  made  against  us 
Latin  Americans,  and  in  a  sense  true,  is  that  we  are  a  race  of  dreamers. 
Perhaps  it  is  so.  We  -inherited  from  our  forefathers  the  love  of  the 
beautiful  and  the  grand;  the  facility  for  expression  and  the  vivid  im- 
agination of  our  race;  from  them  we  inherited  the  sonorous,  majestic 
Spanish,  the  flexible,  musical  Portuguese,  and  the  French,  language  of 
art,  and  a  responsive  chord  to  all  that  thrills,  be  it  color,  harmony,  or 
mental  imagery;  we  inherited  their  varying  moods,  their  noble  traits  and 
their  shortcomings,  both  of.  which  we  have  preserved,  and  in  certain 
cases  improved,  under  the  influence  of  our  environment,  our  majestic 
mountains,  our  primeval  forests,  the  ever  blooming  tropical  flowers,  the 
birds  of  sweetest  wild  songs  and  wonderful  plumage ;  under  magnificent 


A    GLANCE    AT   LATIN    AMERICAN    CIVILIZATION  15 

skies  and  the  inspiration  taken  from  other  poets  and  writers,  be  they 
foreign  or  native,  who  have  gone  through  life  like  the  minstrels  of  old 
with  a  song  on  their  lips  and  an  unsatisfied  yearning  in  their  hearts. 

Much  more  might  be  said  to  show  the  constant  endeavor  of  Latin 
America  to  cooperate  with  its  best  efforts  to  the  civilization  of  the  world. 
It  has  contributed  readily  according  to  its  Latin  standards,  and  from 
the  day  of  its  independence  and  the  establishment  of  republican  institu- 
tions, Latin  America  has  recognized  the  rights  of  man,  abolished  slavery, 
fostered  education,  developed  its  commerce  and  increased  traveling 
facilities  and  means  of  communication  with  the  outer  world.  It  has 
contributed  to  the  best  of  its  ability  to  the  sum  total  of  human  better- 
ment, and  the  day  cannot  be  far  off  when  full  justice  will  be  done  to  the 
efforts  of  the  countries  south  of  the  United  States,  where  live  a  people 
intelligent,  progressive,  proud  of  their  history  and  their  own  efforts,  and 
ready  to  extend  a  friendly  hand  and  a  sincere  welcome  to  those  who  are 
willing  to  understand  them,  and  aid  them  on  their  road  to  progress. 

The  interest  shown  by  the  leading  universities  and  educational 
institutions  of  the  United  States  in  fostering  better  acquaintance  with 
intellectual  Latin  America,  in  giving  special  courses  in  the  history  of 
those  nations,  in  endeavoring  to  establish  with  them  an  exchange  of 
professors  and  students,  deserves  the  sincere  appreciation  of  every  Latin 
American,  and  as  a  Latin  American  myself,  I  desire  to  express  here  my 
deep  gratitude.  To  Clark  University,  in  particular,  and  its  executive 
officers,  I  wish  to  extend  my  most  cordial  congratulations  for  the 
friendly — I  may  say  fraternal — thought  of  dedicating  this  conference  to 
the  discussion  of  Latin- American  topics.  It  is  indeed  a  noble  thought. 
I  also  wish  to  thank  the  executive  officers  of  Clark  University  for  their 
courtesy  in  allowing  me  to  present  before  you  the  views  of  a  Latin 
American  as  to  what  we  are  and  what  we  have  done  towards  the  general 
progress  of  the  world. 


THE  PAN  AMERICAN  UNION  is  the  inter- 
national organization  and  office  maintained 
in  Washington,  D.  C.,  by  the  twenty-one 
American  republics,  as  follows:  Argentina,  Bolivia, 
Brazil,  Chile,  Colombia,  Costa  Rica,  Cuba,  Domini- 
can Republic,  Ecuador,  Guatemala,  Haiti,  Honduras, 
Mexico,  Nicaragua,  Panama,  Paraguay,  Peru,  Salva- 
dor, United  States,  Uruguay,  and  Venezuela.  It  is 
devoted  to  the  development  and  advancement  of 
commerce,  friendly  intercourse,  and  good  under- 
standing among  these  countries.  It  is  supported  by 
quotas  contributed  by  each  country,  based  upon  the 
population.  Its  affairs  are  administered  by  a  Direc- 
tor General  and  Assistant  Director,  elected  by  and 
responsible  to  a  Governing  Board,  which  is  com- 
posed of  the  Secretary  of  State  of  the  United  States 
and  the  diplomatic  representatives  in  Washington 
of  the  other  American  governments.  These  two 
executive  officers  are  assisted  by  a  staff  of  inter- 
national experts,  statisticians,  commercial  special- 
ists, editors,  translators,  compilers,  librarians,  clerks 
and  stenographers.  The  Union  publishes  a  Monthly 
Bulletin  in  English,  Spanish,  Portuguese  and  French, 
which  is  a  careful  record  of  Pan  American  progress. 
It  also  publishes  numerous  special  reports  and  pam- 
phlets on  various  subjects  of  practical  information. 
Its  library,  the  Columbus  Memorial  Library,  con- 
tains 36,000  volumes,  18,000  photographs,  132,000 
index  cards,  and  a  large  collection  of  maps.  The 
Union  is  housed  in  a  beautiful  building  erected 
through  the  munificence  of  Andrew  Carnegie. 


Press  of  Gibson  Brothers 
Washington 


FEB  7-  1917 


